Water restrictions begin

With Summit County in the midst of a drought, many towns on the east side are putting water restrictions in place. Every town, in fact, is looking at a zero percent chance of precipitation over the next week, according to The Weather Channel.

Oakley residents are being asked not to water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to allow the water system to rest and regenerate, according to a public notice by the city.

Further, those with house addresses that end in even numbers are asked to water only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Those with house addresses that end in odd numbers are requested to water only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No watering is allowed on Sundays.

Bob Johnson, head of Oakley’s water department, expects these restrictions to be in place "probably the rest of the summer." Johnson explained the underlying problems that led to the decision to restrict water use.

"We have a well that needs a replacement pump," Johnson said. "People are also watering extra because of the high winds and drought."

Sprinklers have been reset in the town, and Johnson says another problem is the water level of the river.

"The lower the river, the dirtier the water," Johnson said. "We have to clean the filters more often on the secondary systems [because of this]. That might be part of the problem too; we’re investigating that."

Johnson expects the restrictions to be rescinded Sept. 1.

Coalville has recently put similar water restrictions in place. According to a letter written on June 19 by Mayor Duane Schmidt, residents are only allowed to water three days a week for each section of lawn. Each section can be watered for no more than 20 minutes.

There will be no watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays in order to help fill the secondary reservoir, although ranchers will still be able to have seven-day-a-week watering privileges for their ranches and farm crops.

Mayor Schmidt writes, "I hope that your sense of community spirit will kick in to help conserve this valuable commodity."

Kamas has a simple water restriction of no watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Violation fees include: A warning for the first notice, and a $25, $50, $100 and $200 fine for the second through fifth notices, respectively.

Henefer does not currently have any water restrictions in place, but according to the city, residents are being asked to be conservative with their water use. They have asked people not to water on Sundays.

Earleen Paskett, speaking for the city, says restrictions are dependent on the state of the city’s water storage tanks.

"We have springs that fill our storage tanks," Paskett said. "As long as the tanks are full, we will not restrict [residents’] use."

Francis does not currently have any water restrictions in place, but residents can check http://www.francisutah.org to stay updated on any public notices issued by the city related to water.